Fire and Ice: A Change of Heart
by CassandraHeartsSirius
Summary: Copper hair fluttered around her face, caused by an angry autumn wind. Alaise shook her head in disappointment. He let her down once more. She vowed to herself that it wouldn't happen again, that this would be his last time. Rated M for safety. SB/OC
1. Chapter 1

**author's note****: hello all! to those of you who have read my stories before, i'm terribly sorry it took so long to write another! i've been going through some difficult times, and have just gotten back on my feet and have once again started to do what i love--write!! i plan to continue this story for something around ten + chapters, but not too long. it started as kind of a joke story, since it's so dramatic, but it slowly formed this--a real story (or i so hope, lol)! i hope you love it, and make sure to remember to review, good and bad! (but make sure it's constructive and not just rude, haha, nobody likes that!) i love you aaaall!**

**xcassx**

Copper-auburn hair blew into Alaise's face, momentarily blinding her vision. Brushing her unruly curls away, she heaved a sigh. Of all the times, must he disappear at this one, on this day? Her brown eyes flicked westward, then east. She knew not why she continued to accept his blunders and mistakes. Alaise prided herself on what she thought to be a no-nonsense attitude towards betrayal and infidelity, yet she held on to the little sliver of hope she still had that he was still hers, and only hers. _What nonsense_, she told herself now. _What had I been thinking all along?_

Daydreams is all they were. She had always been the optimist, but felt her expectations of better-things-to-come slipping away like sand through her fingers. He would not come, she knew. He was probably in some broom cupboard, or vacant classroom, or watchtower, shagging some willing skank who only slept with him because of his looks and charm; it wouldn't be the first time he had strayed from her. _Well, hey, his "looks and charm" had been enough for you. _Mistake number one.

Twisting her hair into a bun, Alaise sat down on the frosted bench and wrapped her mantle around her, the Autumn winds blowing everything away except for her disappointment. She knew that, inside, she had known that this would not last the whole time. Blinded by her evanescent serendipity, she mistook his actions and words (or lack thereof) for love. God, how stupid could she be? She shook her head, a tear slowly carving a rivulet down her cheek. Never would she make the same dense, juvenile errors. Wiping away her tears, she brushed the hair back from her face and got up, heading back to Hogsmeade. Her face, and heart, hardened.

oOoOoOo

"Sirius Black, the rumours _are_ true," she giggled into his ear. He did not remember her name, didn't find it important. He also couldn't find a reason to respond to her words; he already knew they were true, had been told more times than one. Still, it helped to hear it every more often than not, and he gave her a small smile before resting his head on her ample chest. Damn, he could pick them. Great body, dumb mind; it was the perfect combination of sex and no commitment.

His mind wandered. What day was it; Thursday, Sunday? He knew not, and frankly, didn't really care. Lessons, he could miss. Sirius racked his brain for anything important that he'd had to do today, though he found his eyes dropping, and gave in to his fatigue. The corners of his mouth turned slightly upward. His job was over, he'd done a damn good one, and now—now, he thought, he deserved the right to rest. Sirius fell into a deep sleep, his head on the breast of a girl whose name he couldn't recall.

oOoOoOo

Alaise tugged up her jeans, adjusting them as they molded to her form. Looking in the mirror, she brushed a hair aside. There was a shadow to her eyes that wasn't there before. She pondered whether he would even realize his mistake, whether he would even deny. Not looking forward to their coming meeting like she used to anticipate every time she awoke, Alaise toed down the stairs from the girl's dormitories into the Gryffindor common room. Sleepy students were beginning to emerge, yawning and rubbing at their eyes. Had she ever been that young, that innocent? She found it hard to believe, or at least settled on the fact that it had been taken from her early enough, Merlin knew. Sirius had seen to that. His charm. Her foolishness. It had been a lethal combination.

It wasn't that she was condemning Sirius to being heartless and wicked. No, he had feelings, so much was true. A thimbleful, but feelings none-the-less. He just also had more lust than was safe paired with a sexual appetite one woman alone would never be able to fulfill. An even more lethal combination, especially with his looks. Any woman with eyes was done for.

She sighed, and realized she had paused in the middle of the room. She would have asked herself why situations had a habit of turning awkward when one was thinking in a different place, but the answer to that was obvious. Alaise picked up her feet and heading towards the portrait for an early breakfast, when it swung open a few feet before she met it.

In stumbled a tousled-looking Sirius Black, hair ruffled and clothes just slightly disheveled, barely laying incorrectly to his body. Only she would notice. Not to mention they hadn't changed since yesterday. _Speak of the devil, _Alaise thought painfully as she squeezed her eyes shut for a brief moment, a sign of uncomfortableness which she had a habit of doing. Nobody who didn't know her better than she knew herself would realize what it meant. This included Sirius, as he was never one for observing and analyzing anything that weren't perky breasts or a pair of long, lean legs; those were the types of things that got him through boring lessons and aided him in failing exams, not barely noticeable blinks or twitches that might show a lack of confidence here or a hidden temper there.

Alaise proceeded to go through the portrait hole as Sirius's lips up curved into a sly grin, one of misunderstanding. "Tsk, tsk. Love, I knew you liked me but _really,_ you mustn't come looking for me anymore. I guarantee I can look after myself. I _am_ quite a big boy... But I find you might already know that bit, hmm?" He barked a carefree laugh and his eyes twinkled with mirth as he reached to her.

Her mind swirled when his arm curved around her waist. _This_ was the reason why she put up with it for so long, she knew. It was the utter powerlessness that came over her whenever he touched her, something she couldn't control as his lips caressed over the soft skin of her throat like he actually had missed her presence. He never was one for hiding public displays of affection, she remembered with a titter. Sirius felt it on her throat and tilted his head slightly, his eyes boring reticently into her own, a ghost of a smile barely showing on his lips.

What was he thinking, she thought with a small smile of her own, still lingering from the loveliness of his kisses on her flesh. Of her, of their future? No, Sirius never thought of the future; he was one to live in the moment, without planning ahead (most often to his demise). Or, of all his conquests, of all the times he'd gotten away with it? Alaise's smile vanished; the muscles in her face clenched, and she found herself feeling nauseous even before a morsel had passed her lips; she knew she'd be eating no breakfast this morning. She twisted away from his strong arms and turned out of the portrait door into the cold, stone hallway. Alaise saw Sirius peripherally, standing with his arms at his sides, confused and alone. She liked that look, she found, as the Fat Lady swung closed on him with tart, "Hmph, it's about time you two moved so I could shut. You were blocking my way, and all the while letting the warm air out!"

oOoOoOo

Sirius rinsed any reminders of the prior day's escapades out of his hair, scrubbed off his skin the touches of the most recent concubine of the castle. His subconscious knew it was the only way he could live with himself as he continued his life as he did: meaningless, unscrupulous, and deceitful.

His conscious mind didn't think much of it, only that it was a ritual which he always followed after one of his exploits. Seduce, sex, sleep, shower, sleep. The five "S's" and Rules of Life to which he followed since the first time, though it hadn't been a good one, and back then he truly was showering to wipe away the memory of embarrassment. He soon got over it and realized he liked what he'd done... And hadn't stopped to look back since.

He let the hot water run down his body, warming his chilled skin on contact. _Like a woman's touch, _his mind offered up. Leaning against the wall, he let the warmth of it all seduce him on the cold, odd morning.

With time to think and nothing to distract from the thoughts he sought to push away, he recalled the encounter with Alaise early this morning. Something was off about her; at first she was receptive and willing to his advances, before suddenly becoming cold as ice; he was surprised he'd not gotten frostbite from touching her skin, then. She had stalked off; but to where? He'd not thought to follow her, figured it best to let her stew and get it out. Sirius never was one for emotional confrontations, least of all with angry women. He preferred to sneak off and avoid them instead, much to his lovers' dismays. After a history of disgruntled women, he learned when to flee, how far, and when to come out of his cowardly hiding.

Sirius smiled to himself as he turned off the shower. What could he say? He was much more partial to lustful women than livid ones. Tying his towel around his waist, he shook his hair in a dog-like manner, causing the water to run tiny rills down his chest and back. He didn't bother to dry them off, and ambled out of the washroom, feeling himself again now that his mind had wandered to subjects less somber. What was all that rubbish he'd been fretting about again? Now, _there _was good old, familiar Sirius again. A roguish grin spread fluidly across his elegant mouth; if someone had looked, though, and truly looked, they'd have found that the sparkle in the boy did not fully reach his eyes.

oOoOoOo

Alaise was not one for tears. She found them a pain in more ways than one. They were a sign of weakness, of women. Not that she wasn't feminine, she was all for that. It was that she detested of society's thinking of women to be weak, and unable to accomplish certain deeds because of their sex. When stupid girls ran down corridors blubbering hysterically, it showed that they weren't as strong as the man who could handle pain, hurt, or tough times because he took them without the tears. Not to mention that after a while of crying, it hurt your eyes like mad.

She cursed for allowing herself to cry. Viciously wiping aside the tears, Alaise picked up her pace through the trees. What if someone found her, crying, and approached her? She hated when people saw another person suffering and immediately thought they needed them, no matter if they were friends or not. Her hands shook faintly. Her mind hit the target she'd been trying to miss.

Sirius. She knew he'd been with another girl, when they were supposed to be meeting. But then again, she'd known that all along.

She had given in to him.

_Damn you, Alaise._

He hadn't even cared, hadn't even made the connection that she should be worth more. One girl, here, one girl there, it didn't matter. She was just another toy. "Girlfriend" was meaningless to him; didn't it just mean she was a girl he got to shag repeatedly, while everybody else were one-night-stands?

_It's your own fault, you silly girl, silly Alaise._

Alaise Minna von Clayton broke. She found her world falling around her, slipping at the edges and ripping at the seams. Her back was to a tall spruce for support, as she'd found she found no longer could support herself. The shaking from her hands worked it's way throughout her body, quaking her small frame. She wrapped her arms around her ribs, attempting to stop some of the pain. Head bent, she didn't realize as she slid towards the ground, her legs bent under her as the tears fell.

Sirius would never care for her, not like she cared for him. Why did she have to love _him, _when she knew there were others out there who could be so much more to her? Why did she have to be just as weak as the next brainless twit, falling for the player? For the "jocks" of the wizarding world, the players or heartbreakers?

The sun set, playing shadows across Alaise's face and throwing them across the frames of the trees. She didn't notice the time, only her inner agony, and slipped into an exhausted, dreamless sleep on a bed of leaves and dirt.

oOoOoOo

"Hi. Yeah, don't walk away from me! Have you seen Alaise?" Hadley challenged her year-mate, Midge Felkin, Ravenclaw. When she continued to walk away, Hadley pulled the stack of books out of her arms, much to Midge's dismay. "Now then, let's refresh your memory!" she said bravely as she levitated the books to an niche high in the wall. "Alaise? Seen her lately?"

"Can't say that I have, as I've been studying the whole day, as you so _rudely _interrupted me from."

"Well, thanks for nothing. I trust you can retrieve those books yourself, as you're _such_ a smart wittle sixth year Ravenclaw, yeah? Awen't we? Awen't we?" Hadley mocked, making baby faces, before turning on her heel and walking out of the library.

Didn't _anybody _care where her friend had gone to besides herself? Hadley knew they weren't exactly the essence of popularity, but people _noticed _when their classmates went missing one day and then weren't in their beds that night. And then didn't show up for lessons the following morning.

Alaise wasn't extremely studious, but she'd never missed a lesson when it wasn't for a good reason (whether that was if she was sick or upset...or just needed a break from lessons), and Hadley knew she should be there for her!

Her boots stomped a pattern into the grass as she ventured outside. Hoping against all hope she didn't have to search too long out here in the cold, Hadley Blaise Tettlier zipped up her hoodie and continued her hunt for her best friend.

oOoOoOo

"Mmm, too bright." Alaise groaned quietly as a ray of sunlight hit her full on the face. Why was her head pounding like she'd been drinking?

Suddenly it all painfully rushed back to her, and she remembered where she was. It was also no small wonder why her back also hurt her, since she'd fallen asleep on rocks and leaves and dirt. What day was it?, she wondered, before finding she didn't really care at all whether or not she learned about the genocide of the Western Warlocks in 1672.

Alaise realized also she was painfully cold, since she'd been outside the whole night, and quickly gripped her wand with stiff fingers. Casting a spell to warm herself, she stretched and set off to find something to do that didn't involve thinking or involvement with people who probably didn't really care.

She painfully missed her horse, Sherlock, back at home, and wished that she could be with be with him. Whenever she had been upset as a young child, all she had to do was go to him and somehow, he always knew. There was some magic in her gelding, there was no point in denying that. Whether it was her type of magic or a sort of muggle magic that she couldn't explain, no one could say.

Having a sudden urge to drown her sorrows once and for all, Alaise stepped out of her clothing and dived into the icy waters of a small lake she'd come to. She had no intention of taking her own life, just of freezing it until it came back to it's senses...Her body shivered and she found her lips curving into an odd sort of smile. It felt good to be numb.

**a/n****: and sooo dramatically ends the first chapter of my lovely new story! please review, it means so much to me and makes me finish my second chapter just that much quicker! (: everything is welcome, so much as it is constructive or just plain loving, hahhah! much love!**

**xcassx**


	2. Chapter 2

Sirius romped with his mates in his carefree manner. He wished he could transform into Padfoot, but knew that he couldn't so long as he was in public like he was now. James made a slight blunder and Sirius pinned him, winning, and smirked. James rolled his eyes.

"You know, I meant to do that." He theorized, leaning back on his elbows.

"Of course you did, Prongs, because you just adore losing to somebody as great as myself."

James scoffed. "No, because now I have an excuse to stab you with my antlers tonight. I've been waiting for one of those...Though I expect I would've stabbed you either way, excuse or not." Both boys grinned and Prongs punched James playfully.

"Thanks, mate, I really feel loved." Padfoot retorted sarcastically, all in good humour.

Remus looked up from his book from where he sat against the tree. "I expect you do, since your bed was empty last night. Who was it this time, Padfoot? Can't have been your girlfriend, Alaise, since I saw her sitting alone at Hogsmeade most of the day." He stated this all matter-of-factly, without emotion, though the corners of his mouth bent downwards and disapproval was plainly etched onto his expressive face.

Peter turned over to face Sirius. "Sirius? Again?"

Sirius found himself under interrogation, and found he didn't like it. He looked to Peter. Why had Wormtail suddenly decided to talk now? He never talked against any of them, not usually.

The Questioned Boy rolled his eyes, attempting to brushing their concerns or jealousies or disapprovals aside. Everyone knew what a stick Remus could be, so why is it any different for him to be one now? Sirius's arrogant outside cover remained the same, but he felt his cool slowly slipping beneath a wave of anxiousness. He looked to James for stability—surely he, a player in his own right, would understand?

"All the women adore me, what do you expect me to do? Throw them off when they attack me like this one did? I could barely keep her away as long as I did! Come on James, you understand."

Sirius shot a grin, but James's face held a small frown. He shook his head slightly. "It's all good fun when you're single, but Sirius, mate...It's all different when you have someone like Alaise. Someone who trusts you, yeah?"

"As she right well shouldn't." Peter muttered under his breath.

_What's going on with them? _Sirius wondered. But when Peter got up and left, murmuring some half-hearted excuse about using the library while it was still open, he felt his jaw drop slightly. He couldn't believe that Peter had walked out on him, of all of them. Maybe Remus, since he was so uptight; or James, because he was so headstrong, and slightly rash. But Peter was usually one to sit along for the ride, and preferred not to get involved fights within their group. It surprised Remus and James slightly, but didn't come as an all together shock since they noticed more; it all-together bewildered Sirius, who was not one for reading between the lines, and never had been.

The remaining three sat together in an uncomfortable silence, after a failed attempt at awkward talk after Peter had gone off, before packing up at sunset to head into the Great Hall for dinner. But would Peter be there? More importantly, would he talk?

oOoOoOo

Hadley blew hot air on her hands, rubbing them together to try to work up some warmth. "Damn it, Alaise, if you're out here you better show your ass soon, before mine gets frozen off." She muttered under her breath. The leaves cracked under her boots and the bitter wind chilled through to her bones. She ventured further through the trees, the last place that she hadn't looked on her long search this day. Hadley pulled out a warm flask which she had thought to get from the kitchens before she left. Pausing, she filled her mouth with the warm mulled cider, then wiped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand.

As she paused, sipping her drink, she saw something out of the corner of her eye next to the lake. Her body tensed. Was that—Could it be Alaise? She ran over. Yes—yes it was!

Alaise was on the bank of the lake—naked—and her clothes lay in a pile not far away. Hadley thanked Merlin that she found Alaise, though she wondered what had happened for her friend to be in a situation such as this. She worried for her friend as she sought to wake her, before realizing that there was more to worry about since Alaise's breathing was unusually slow.

oOoOoOo

Inner pandemonium ensued. Hadley freaked out, screaming Alaise's name, putting her head down to her friend's chest to check her heart.

"Oh _god, _what do I do, what do I do?!"

She got up, unsure of what decision to make, moving in between her friend and running out of the forest for help. She finally decided, and grabbed Alaise's discarded cloak from the pile, wrapping it around her as well as she could (considering that her hands, and whole body, were shaking), and shot through the trees, to try to find somebody to help her. It was the only logical thing she could think to do, since she wouldn't be able to carry Alaise anywhere by herself, even if she knew that was the right thing you were supposed to do in a situation like this. Were you supposed to move somebody in a condition like that?

Hadley saw a fifth-year couple a while away, walking hand-in-hand, the boy holding a picnic basket with a blanket draped on top. She jumped up and down as she ran towards them, arms waving above her head, voice straining to scream louder than it would let her. They simultaneously turned to her with the same startled look plastered on both of their faces. _Wow, what a great shot for a movie _that _would've been_, Hadley thought briefly before reaching the couple.

"Oh my god—my friend—I don't know what—I mean—I think she's unconscious!" She finally managed to stutter out, despite her lack of breath from sprinting over.

"Oh, um, what do you need?" The boy answered back. _He's a Hufflepuff_, Hadley thought randomly. He looked to his girlfriend (_Ravenclaw, _Hadley's mind offered up.) who had a shocked look on her face. They were only fifteen, after all, which, to Hadley's mind, was much younger than her ripe old age of sixteen.

"That blanket, I think she fell in a lake. And can you help me carry her to the infirmary? I... I think she could be in really bad shape, her breathing is super slow and—and—oh, please hurry up! This way, come on!" Hadley sputtered lamely, before breaking out into a run, urging her newly found helpers along.

Hadley ran as fast as she could, breaking farther ahead of the couple, hoping with all hope that they would be able to get Alaise to where she needed to be in enough time to help her.

oOoOoOo

"Uuuhhhndd..." A small voice grumbled out intelligently. She found that her mouth refused to open much (had she been drooling?), her eyes were highly sensitive to the sunlight (they might as well just have refused to open also, since they hurt painfully whenever she made an attempt to), her body ached terribly, and she couldn't remember much that had happened (what day was it?).

"Oh my—_Oh my god. _Madame Pomfrey...She's awake! MADAME P!" her best friend, Hadley, screamed, much to her ears' painful discomfort. She chose to keep her eyes shut. This wasn't only because the sunlight hurt them, but also because she was slowly realizing just how sleepy she really was...

_Clackclackclack. _The sound of heels on tile sounded ages away, as if someone else's ears and not her own were hearing it.

"Ahh, yes, our patient is back once again. I'd like to know..."

Alaise stopped listening, and briefly wondered who was speaking; her head replied that no, she didn't care, and she felt herself slip into silent darkness.

"Mmmff."

"Alaise? Hello? MADAME P, SHE'S BACK!"

"Hadley, my dear_, must you shout_?" The young nurse spoke from behind the girl, who jumped in reply, not knowing she was behind her.

"Sorry, Madame P. And, uh, sorry about the mess, too," the dark-haired Hadley apologized meekly, looking at the piles of books and parchments on the tables, chairs, and beds surrounding her. "As much as I love to keep vigil on Alaise, here, I still have to do my homework, right?" A pleasant grin graced her face as Madame Pomfrey, hands on her hips, let her stern demeanor dissolve with a light chuckle.

"Don't you worry, since with you here watching Alaise I have much less to be stressing about as I'm tending to other patients—just be sure to clean it up before you leave," she told, while checking Alaise's vitals before stirring together a nasty-looking, steaming cup of liquid.

Alaise opened her eyes slightly, groaning quietly as they adjusted to the light. "How...What...Where'm I?" She finally settled on the least complicated question; her head hurt enough as it was.

"You're in the overnight section of the infirmary, dear," Madame Pomfrey answered, holding the cup out to Alaise. "You've never been to this section, so I'm not surprised you don't recognize it. Now, drink this before it gets cold, or else you'll be drinking something nasty for no reason."

Alaise coughed and sputtered the bitter-tasting brew down obediently, squeezing her eyes shut at the taste on the last swallows. "Would it hurt if...Could I have something better to drink now, please?"

The nurse chuckled softly and turned, returning soon with a mug of hot herbal tea. She handed it to Alaise before turning to Hadley. "I assume you'll want your privacy, so I'll leave in a minute. I trust you'll let me know if something's the matter? Just don't wear her out too much, we need her to come back for good." Hadley nodded, and the nurse, satisfied, turned and left the two friends alone to talk.

**author's note****: the ballots are open for VOTING! i decided to have you guys decide what happens with Alaise's memory. should her memory be lost of most recent things, including Sirius? or should she still remember, just the lake and her unconsciousness being fuzzy? REVIEW AND TELL ME! your answers tell how the story continuessss.. make sure to get your voice heard (:**


	3. Chapter 3: Forgotten Memories

**Author's Note**** : Firstly, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY apologize for not updating for so long. I'm a bad, bad person! Secondly, here's my news about the last chapter: I made up the overnight section of the infirmary because.. Well, I can't tell you. Because it'll ruin a part of the story. I apologize for my slip up in the earlier chapter—I said that Prongs punched James. I meant Padfoot punched James (: (Thanks, Molly!). **

**Also, if you're going to give constructive criticism about things that might be revealed further into the story (like, she wouldn't know about a movie because she might not be muggle-born or half-blood), hold back on your comment until you know it **_**probably **_**won't happen.. Usually things like their blood are referred to within the first three chapters or so.. No offense to my reviewer, really! I'm just explaining that, for some reason, I like to hold off a bit to reveal things like that. And, with this lonnng A/N finished..Here's your chapter! Hopefully, it makes up for the extended wait—It's pretty lengthy.**

oOoOoOo

"Hi, uh, wow...My head hurts so fucking bad..."

"Wow, Lace, you MUST be back! I really missed your unexpected cursing!" Hadley's voice, if possible, bounced with happiness. Her smile stretched across her odd, expressive young face. It was obvious how pleased she was that her best friend was back; she used the nickname, which she had first called her best friend when they were younger, scarcely.

"And that's all you missed, I bet." Alaise rubbed her pounding temples, lifted the steaming tea to her lips, and took a tentative sip. "_Ouch._ Hot."

"Oh, of COURSE, my friend who is my sister but really my friend...But not. Am I making sense at all?" Hadley was rambling, much to the demise of Alaise and her splitting headache. Not being able to hold herself back much longer, Hadley bounced out of her chair and enclosed Alaise in a tight but tentative, heartfelt hug. "But really, you have no idea how it is without you! NEVER do that again, okay? I felt like a ghost...I hardly think people recognized me without you by my side."

"Sorry...It's all a little fuzzy...Do what, exactly?"

Hadley's eyes widened. "Well...I'll fill you in. Tell me if it gets clearer, yeah? Madame P. told me you might be a little confused about things for a little while...Hopefully you can explain the parts we didn't really understand. Like, young miss, how come you were naked?"

Alaise rested her heavy head into her hands. This was going to be a long night...For both of them.

oOoOoOo

Alaise and Hadley had taken the time to go over things, thoroughly. As Hadley explained the information she knew, her friend's memory started to clear up—slowly, though.

Alaise had obviously taken off her clothes when she stupidly decided to take a dip in the freezing water. No, she told Hadley, she wasn't molested! As far as she remembered...Though she kept that part to herself. If she had been, Alaise thought quickly, she was just thankful she didn't have the memories from it to make it linger.

Hadley sighed with relief. Alaise's turn: how did she get from a random spot far into the grounds, to the infirmary, before it was too late?

"I asked a fifth year couple for help, I think their names were Jacob and Beth. And I admit, I could've just used magic to bring you in, or call a professor but...You don't understand how frightening it was! I totally and completely forgot that I was a witch...You scared me, Lace."

Alaise lips curled slightly into a closed smile. She loved Hadley so much, they'd been friends since Merlin knew how long. Suddenly, though, a thought crossed her mind. "Wait—You got a random boy and his girlfriend to help me, and I was NAKED?!"

oOoOoOo

Madame Pomfrey, after much fussing, allowed Alaise to leave the infirmary and sleep in her own bed in the dormitories. She walked to the room, through empty hallways, since she was exempt from lessons for a couple more days.

Her mind quickly started to simmer. Of course, Hadley had filled her in on her assumed reasons for Alaise's destructive behavior. Filled in everything including her "beloved" boyfriend's actions—They were all over the school, by now.

_Well then, he must be proud of himself. He loves his image, doesn't he?_

Although she hated to admit it to herself, Alaise honestly could barely remember the happenings of the days surrounding her "mishap," as she told people it was. She also hated to admit she found it hard to believe Sirius would ever do something like that to her. But would Hadley lie? Hadley, her best friend for over twelve years? Alaise didn't believe that would ever happen, either.

Her pace slowed as the past week gained on her body.

Footsteps echoed throughout the frigid stone corridor, and Alaise pressed her back against the harshly solid wall; at the same time she was strangely comforted by such an odd, inanimate object. It was as if the wall wanted to wrap it's icy fingers around her aching body and protect her as her strength, equally physical and emotional, failed rapidly. She willed herself to melt—or freeze—into the uneven stone bricks. Whoever was passing, she didn't wish to see. Not now not..Not ever.

Both eyes squeezed shut. Pain surged in her head. Knees buckled slightly. Waves of emotion, pain, and exhaustion pulsed over, through, and around her. Alaise didn't know where she stopped and the unwelcome feelings began; they were equalling sinking in and weaving around each other. One would only be released when the other consented.

The footsteps subsided. She guessed they had turned down the hall where she had just recently passed. Hadley silently thanked the angels and spirits looking out for and granting her wishes.

Tears streaming quietly down her face, Hadley reached for handholds as she walked, step after excruciating step, to her dormitories. Once up the stairs (had there ever been that many?), she collapsed onto her bed; Alaise didn't bother to change her clothes or get under the covers or to pull the bed curtains closed; she had passed out from sum of pain and exhaustion as soon as her feet reached the side of the bed.

oOoOoOo

He swiped his black hair out of his eyes with a practiced flip of the head. Sometimes he fleetingly wondered why he kept it so long, but then remembered: to get girls like he did, one had to be gorgeous. And being gorgeous took effort. And, damn, look at the bum of that bird in front of him, with the psychadelically-coloured hair! Gorgeous was most _definitely _an advantage.

Disappearing faintly into a slight alcove, he leaned against the cool stone and watched the students go by. A flawless smirk graced his lips, perfectly-shaped and practiced in many art forms...Any second now, he thought, as a bell tolled five – and she appeared.

"Hello, darling, it's been much too long..." Purred a honey-touched voice, an interesting amalgamation of sugar and acid; it was both silken and velvety in the same instant. She shaked her mane of mahogany hair over her shoulders and brushed her fridge to the chicly side.

Their occasional meetings were in no way secret, yet managed to stay neatly under-wraps where it needed to be. He couldn't help himself and, without saying a word in response, aggressed her body in a fevered single-mindedness. His lips trailed a line down her jawline, brushing lightly and barely touching. Butterfly kisses, they used to call them. His eyes blinked against her skin; this was all too easy for him.

Two delicate yet forceful hands gently shoved his body away. His lips were mid-kiss, and she sniggered seductively. He looked like a fish! "Naughty, naughty boy, beginning without permission..." She swatted at his cheek with the papers held between her manicured fingers. Her voice was low and sultry. "Can't you behave?"

He found his own voice to be rasping and raw when he attempted to speak – this woman did odd, unexplainable things to him. "The nape of your neck won't let me," came his reply. "I'm not sorry." The gap between them was closed with two short steps as she approached him, brushed a lingering yet innocent-seeming kiss across his mouth, and grasping him hand in her own.

"Oh, honey, neither am I." She towed him behind her, making him slightly stumble to keep up as she began to run through the halls. They parted oncoming students like a scythe, and her sexy laugh bounced off the bare, unfeeling corridor walls. His not-so guilty pleasure was when she took all control and he was powerless to do anything but comply and enjoy the ride... And what a hell of a ride it could be. He didn't want it to feel like love, and knew it was anything but. It felt like an addictive drug, and he could never resist the sickening pull in the pit of his stomach when the euphoria of her touch sent him reeling into vulnerability.

oOoOoOo

**A/N**** : And there's your chapter! Once again, Sirius is being a naughty boy and doing things he thinks he can get away with. Hopefully, you all liked it and forgive me for not updating for Merlin knows how long. Again, I apologize and will try, try, **_**try **_**to get the next chapter up much quicker than this one! Please, review even if you have criticism instead of praises, everything helps and I take it all into consideration whenever I write the following chapter. Hint and possibly name of the next chapter..."Let's Play House!" Heeheehee... Cheers, thanks so much for reading, and thank you to all of my reviewers!**

**xCassx**


	4. Chapter 4: A Decision

**WARNING! This chapter contains language(: **Also, my apologies for the previous two fake-out posts for this chapter. was being a butthead to me and messing up the formatting of my chapter. Hopefully this one works out fine! :D

_Previously in __Fire and Ice__:_

_She towed him behind her, making him stumble slightly to keep up . . . His not-so guilty pleasure was when she took all control and he was powerless to do anything but comply and enjoy . . . a hell of a ride . . . He knew it was anything but love . . . but he could never resist . . . when the euphoria of her touch sent him reeling into vulnerability._

oOoOoOo

Alaise awoke the next morning to the voices of her dormitory mates gossiping and getting prepared for the day of classes, and felt completely fine. She half-expected delayed pain to come, and winced, tensing her muscles, to try to prepare for it . . . and nothing came. Opening one eye tentatively and then the other in shock, she couldn't believe that after the torment she had experienced the day before had disappeared so simply. She stretched her muscles, moving from side to side and unclenching the toes and fingers she hadn't realised she'd been tightening.

Her vision was a little blurry, but she shook her head and figured it was just a small repercussion of her recent injuries and actions; she silently thanked her angels that this was the only thing wrong with her. _Anyway, the little thing will go away in time, right?_ A smile graced her lips and she slid out of her warm bed into the colder air. Snatching up the first clean clothes she spotted and her small bag of toiletries, she walked over to where the other girls were clustered around the giant mirror (a mandatory addition from a vain girl years before), blocking the path to the dormitory's only bathroom.

Sarah Balmer turned around. "Alaise, honey, you're back!" _Ugh, not her. _Sarah's fake friendliness was an unwelcome sound, and Alaise hated it. She was the type of girl who could be described as a bitch and back-stabber without even feeling like rubbish for saying it; not only that, but she seemed to warm the beds of all the boys in Hogwarts, taken or not . . . and had attempted the same with many professors. _She's probably been with Sirius more than once, _a tiny voice reminded her in the back of her mind before she brushed it away; those rumours hadn't been proved yet, she was still confused and found she was not ready to approach them yet.

Alaise faked a small smile directed toward the mendacious beauty who shared her dormitory. "Thanks, Sarah . . . I'd _love_ to stay and catch up, but I basically have more important things to get to." Alaise shrugged innocently and pushed her way through the throng of narcissistic yet intelligent young women, arms full of her belongings. She smiled at the look of shock on their faces; it was almost better than if she had punched them like she suddenly felt an urge to do. They were so superficial.

The small, clean sight of the tile-covered washroom was a very welcome sight versus the messy pandemonium that overtook her shared dormitory, and she found herself sighing lightly. What a week she had. Once Madame Pomfrey had deemed her fit enough to be released, sometime around dinner the night before last, Alaise had headed straight for her dormitory to the comfort of her own bed. It seemed that she had shaken off all of the serious effects she'd experienced last night during her short trip from the Hospital Wing to her dormitory. It had been a truly frightening occurrence, and she was glad to the core that it had not been there to greet her this morning.

Her fingers tingled slightly as she gauged her haggard appearance in the unforgiving washroom vanity. Fingertips slightly poked and prodded, held hair up or pressed it down, until she was convinced that there was no helping her limp locks or the dark, sickly-looking circles beneath her eyes. Alaise quickly used the toilet, swapped her wrinkled pyjamas for a fresh uniform, and smoothed some moisturiser on her dry, complaining skin; she was anxious to leave the stuffy rooms she'd been confined to for what felt like an eternity, though in reality it was no longer than twenty four hours. Her mouth swam with an uncomfortable feeling. _Oh gosh, how could I have almost forgotten to brush my teeth? _She scolded herself before scrubbing them thoroughly and ridding her mouth of the rotten, cotton-mouthed sensation as best she could.

Alaise winced inside, squeezed her eyes shut, and built up the courage to trudge out of the peaceful escape of the washroom. _What the hell was I _thinking _when I said that to Sarah? I'll probably be at the top of her "Most Wanted" list. Great. _A barge of judgmental eyes pierced into her from all directions imaginable—she could have sworn that a pair of red-hot, incriminating eyes were staring at the crown of her head. Alaise could feel it, she swore.

Okay, well, _maybe _she was a little bit crazy. Just maybe.

Her skin prickled with discomfort. Picking up speed, Alaise avoided eye contact with anyone and instead chose to watch her feet. The catty girls behind her waited a distance before spewing venom: close enough so that she could still hear them, but far enough away so they could pretend she couldn't. Why had she done that? Why had she finally defended herself after years of being bullied? Alaise was never one for unreservedly standing up for herself; she wasn't a wit, either. If someone bothered her, the idea to solve the problem was to ignore the perpetrator until they got bored. Something was changing.

A dull pain began to throb rhythmically behind her eyes. The bright morning light pained as she exited the Gryffindor dormitory. _Gods, _Alaise thought, putting a tentative hand to her forehead. _It's as if I got to a bottle of firewhisky in my sleep!_

Upon entering the Great Hall, Alaise was greeted with a cheery, "Oi! Hey, you! Get your bitch ass over here!" Hadley joked with a wide grin. Alaise turned toward the Hufflepuff tables, and she noticed the quasi-hangover symptoms fading. Quick footsteps sounded behind her as a group of first years rushed to the Slytherin table, jostling her without so much as a glance of an apology. Alaise shook her head in distaste; one last laggard barrelled into her back. The difference with this one was that it stuck. She attempted to wriggle out of the strong grip. Her mind whirled with possible situations that a Slytherin would do to torment her—she was Muggle-born, and they didn't appreciate the "likes of her" in their midst. A husky voice growled into her ear.

"You know, I might not seem dangerous, but you've gone missing; I might just have to teach you a lesson." The words dripped with suggestions, and even though she couldn't not see his face, Alaise knew a smirk was painted on the brilliant features.

She twisted herself around to face him; Sirius crushed their bodies closer together and her arms were trapped against his chest. "Now, miss, we must arrange a time and place for this. I can't let bad deeds go unpunished, can I? What will my reputation come to if I let you slide?" He set to work kissing her temple, her hair, before sliding his lips down the side of her face to her ear and playing with the lobe.

An infantry of thoughts conflicted in the battlefield of her mind. She didn't know what to believe and it irritated her to no end. "It's a terrible thing when one's own mind can't even decide what it would like," Alaise's grandfather used to tell her.

Alaise knew that in order to sort out her emotions, she had to see her situation as an outsider to the best of her ability; sadly, this would mean extracting herself from Sirius for a while. No matter how delicious his embrace felt, Alaise had to get away from his caresses.

With a gentle push, space was put between them. She placed a sweet kiss on his lips, whispering, "Something to remember me by," across his mouth. His attempt to deepen it was thwarted as she danced out of his grip to the Hufflepuff table, leaving him wondering.

"What the hell was that rubbish about remembering her for?"

oOoOoOo

Hadley looked up from her food. "What's fucking taking her so long?" She had yelled to Alaise minutes ago! Okay, she admitted to herself. She _had _only yelled instead of meeting Alaise halfway. And she had been so caught up in the awesome spread of breakfast foods that all other thoughts had left her brain. But that was no excuse! Alaise should have been sitting next to her, _equally _caught up in the food!

What greeted her as Hadley swiveled around to look for her best friend was shocking. An immediate surge of protective rage overtook her. What did that scumbag fucktard _prat _think he was doing by touching her? Further more, why was she lettinghim get away with it?

Hadley jumped to her feet to rescue Alaise, but found it was no longer needed as her friend pushed Sirius away. "That shove was far too gentle for my liking," she grumbled. Her fists clenched tightly as Alaise kissed him—_kissed _the ungrateful jerk—before prancing to Hadley's side.

"Geez, Hadley, did somebody stab you with their spork? What's with the angry stance?" Alaise sang lightly as she gracefully fell into her seat and immediately began to pile food onto the empty plate. Hadley slowly loosened her fists and drew breath in pain; her own nails had left four crescent-shaped wounds in each palm. Tiny pools of blood rose to the surface, and she looked at the cuts blankly.

"Fucking bastard," she hissed in a hushed tone before wiping the blood on her robes—hey, they _were _black, right?—and joining Alaise at the breakfast before them.

That boy had hurt her friend. Bitter thoughts of revenge flooded her mind.

_Sirius has done this one time too many. I might not be much, but I _am _fiercely loyal. That son of a bitch took advantage of Alaise many times before; and now he's using her since she can't remember what he's done previously. He won't do it again if I can help it. May the gods be with him—he is going to need it._

_--_

author's note: Yay! I finally got a new chapter up - sorry, but I was on vacation and then suffered a short bout of writer's block. But I prevailed (hooray!) and voila! A new chapter. Many, _many_ thanks to my best friend and inspiration when I get stuck, Emma (aka OutOfLullaby), and my loverly beta whom I love, Nic (aka LastDarkDream). You guys are the best! As always, please review: I don't care if you're telling me what your favorite outfit is, or that you thought my character was crap - just tell me so that I can better my next piece of writing. Ever bit helps! Love to all my readers -Cassandra


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